Kwara uncertain over fifth TUC delegates conference

Members of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Kwara state have expressed anxiety over botched fifth triennial delegates conference earlier scheduled for June 30 this year.

Tribune Online gathered that before the botched conference, delegates and national officers from Lagos had arrived Ilorin, the state capital and already checked into their various hotels when on 29th June, a directive came from the state technical committee on COVID-19 asking the union to put it on hold.

In a letter, titled, “Enforcement of COVID -19 Protocols” signed by Mr J.O Asha on behalf of the state deputy governor and chairman, technical committee on COVID-19, Mr Kayode Alabi, the committee cited “rising cases of COVID -19 and risk associated with public gatherings” as reasons for its suspension, asking the conference planning committee to pick a new date.

Speaking on the development, the TUC caretaker chairman, Ezekiel Alex Adegoke, who lamented that it had expended huge sum in preparation for the largest gathering of the union, where delegates were expected to elect new officers that will run the affairs of the union for another term, said it had no option than to comply.

“Consequently, a new date of September 26, 2020, was proposed to the technical committee by the state caretaker committee for the conference to hold.

“And just like it happened the first time, the technical committee on COVID-19 also rejected the proposed date, insisting that there was the need to avoid public gathering that could cause a spike in covid-19 cases in the state”, he said.

According to Adegoke, the COVID-19 technical committee then suggested November 2020 when it predicted that the curve of coronavirus infection would have been flattened.

ALSO READ: Why FG should release white paper on probe panel’s report ― UNILAG staff unions, parents

Adegoke lamented that while the TUC had picked November 7 and printed another programme, it received another letter from COVID-19 technical committee asking the TUC to hold its conference on 0ctober 7 and later picked October 21, 2020.

But the two dates were also rejected by the TUC who also argued that they both fell on weekdays during which some workers like bankers’ union and PENGASSAN would be disenfranchised.

Instead, the TUC said it would stick to November which was earlier suggested by the technical committee.

Following which it picked November 7 to hold the long-awaited conference which will also be the first of its kind to be hosted by Kwara state.

There has not been any further official reaction to the new date, the TUC caretaker committee chairman, however, alleged that some forces, who were hell-bent on paving way for a candidate without allowing the election to hold, were at work.

_{NIGERIAN TRIBUNE}